Gargoyles, Trollocs and Job Interviews - CareerAlley

Gargoyles, Trollocs and Job Interviews - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. A strange title on the surface, unless youve had a job interview from hell (doesnt really matter if you were the receiver or the giver in this case). Weve all had our moments, and Ive been both the receiver and the giver of interviews from hell (although I did not initially plan them that way, but who does?). Anyway, I remember this one interview I went on for a job that was at a major company and the role was the perfect role for me. I first met with the person who was the manager of the role (lets call her the manager) and was then asked to interview with the two people I was replacing (this should have been the first warning sign). The next round of interviews was in another building a mile or so away, so the manager gave me cab fare and sent me on my way. The next person I met was the more junior of the two and started out by telling me that she had the job from hell, she hated everyone in the department (including the Manager) and would be glad to move on. In the middle of the i nterview this women gets a call from her husband (which she, of course, takes) and all I hear is her husband cursing in a loud voice on the other end of the phone (another warning sign). I moved on to my next interview (this womans manager) where I tried to validate if this was really the job from hell. Besides the fact that this woman spoke so softly I could barely hear her (Im sure my breathing was louder), she could not answer my questions about the job. About 10 minutes into this interview I looked at my watch and said Sorry, I really have to go now. Bye. Better to cut the nightmare short than to see it to its logical conclusion. I would love to hear your stories as well. So, whats is the moral of this story? Most interviews are what we make of them. When we are the interviewee we are expected to control the interview and when we are the interviewer we are expected to control the interview (sounds like a conflict to me). While (hopefully) interviews from hell are few and far between, it is up to you as the interviewee to be prepared and ace the interview. My Worst Interview This article is from CareerAlley and details one of my worst interviews. It is definitely worth a read and there is a list of job interview warning signs. There are all types of interviews these days, with telephone interviews as one of the more popular and typical types of first round interviews. Whatever you may face, it pays to be prepared. Not only on researching the company, but also looking up your interviewers on LinkedIn if possible. How to Ace your Telephone Interview As mentioned above, telephone interviews have become more popular over the last few years and have almost become a standard first interview before the in person interview. The skills required for a telephone interview certainly overlap with the in person interview, but there are a number of things you may need to do differently. This article provides important points on the What, When and How of telephone interviews. There are advantages to a telephone interview, you can have materials available that would not be possible in an in person interview. This article covers what to have and what to do. Okay, what about those dreaded questions? You know, the ones you know they will ask but never have the right answer. One of my all time favorites (to ask, but not to be asked) is Where do you need to improve? or What is your greatest weakness?. This one get to you too? Read on. Your Greatest Weakness is Your Strength This article is from timsstrategy.com and does a great job of covering the weakness question. Tim covers the why is it asked angle as well as how to respond (although you will need to make this specific to you. Tim also includes an example. But dont stop there, take a look at all of the other great advice and resources on this site. Okay, covered most of the topic, but I do feel obligated to cover at least one more what not to do and how to prepare for your interview. So here goes. Top 10 Interview Blunders About.com offers some advice on what you shouldnt do on an interview. Some seem fairly basic and some are a matter of taste (as in dress appropriately you would be surprised as to what some people think this means). Overall, these are things you should know so it is definitely worth a read. In some cases, such as dont talk too much, you may not actually know you are talking too much (and you are probably not likely to get this feedback). What makes it even more difficult is the next piece of advice which is dont talk enough. I have a job interview, now what? One of my favorites (okay, so what if I wrote it?). One of my early posts on how to prepare for an interview. If youve been job hunting for a period of time, you know that interviews can be few and far between. This article provides a number of tips, supported by a few links to provide more information. We are always eager to hear from our readers. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions regarding CareerAlley content. Good luck in your search,Joey Google+ what where job title, keywords or company city, state or zip jobs by